A TaqMan PCR assay for detection of DGAT1 K232A polymorphism in cattle

Abstract

Metabolic processes involved in the control of fatty acid composition and ratio can greatly influence the quality of cow milk and beef. One of the key elements in this complex pathway is the enzyme diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1). Numerous studies showed a strong correlation between DGAT1 K232A allelic variants and the content of saturated fat in cow milk and the level of beef marbling. PCR-RFLP, the widely used method for SNP detection, is laborious and time-consuming. This article describes the development of an efficient and rapid assay for detection of DGAT1 K232A polymorphism, based on real-time PCR with allele-specific TaqMan probes. The proposed method was validated by PCR-RFLP and the results fully coincided. Thus, our developed assay is efficient and reliable for rapid identification of DGAT1 K and A allelic variants in cattle that can be successfully applied in cattle breeding.